Abington man's sexting and indecent contact with 13 year old girl lands him behind bars

COURTHOUSE — A 28-year-old Abington man has admitted to having indecent contact with a 13-year-old girl in Upper Dublin and to sending her sexually-charged text messages after the assault.

Matthew R. Hessenthaler, of the 300 block of Huntingdon Pike, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court to charges of disseminating explicit sexual material to a minor, corruption of a minor, unlawful contact with a minor and indecent assault in connection with incidents that occurred between June and July 2012.

Judge Wendy Demchick-Alloy deferred sentencing so that court officials can complete a background investigative report about Hessenthaler and so he can be evaluated by the Pennsylvania Sexual Offender Assessment Board, which will determine if he meets criteria under the state’s Megan’s Law to be classified a sexually violent predator.

Those deemed to be predators face more stringent restrictions under Megan’s Law, including a lifetime requirement to report their addresses to state police and community notification about their housing arrangements.

Advertisement

Hessenthaler, who remains in the county jail without bail pending his sentencing hearing, faces a possible maximum sentence of 14-to-28 years in state prison on the charges. State sentencing guidelines also would allow for a county jail sentence of several months.

“He admitted culpability,” said defense lawyer George Griffith Jr., adding he will seek a time served sentence for Hessenthaler, who has been in jail since his arrest last year. “I think he’s remorseful. He made a stupid decision and one that he regrets.”

“It’s just a bad idea,” Griffith said about so-called “sexting.” “Kids today have technology and they want to push the envelope with it. It’s not a good idea. He’s clearly embarrassed about it.”

An investigation of Hessenthaler began in July 2012 when the girl and her mother went to Upper Dublin police to report that the girl was indecently assaulted by Hessenthaler at an Upper Dublin residence which the pair had been visiting.

The girl, whom Hessenthaler knew to be 13, allegedly told Hessenthaler to stop but he persisted and continued to touch her in an inappropriate manner, according to the criminal complaint.

Following the indecent contact, Hessenthaler sent the girl numerous text messages. In some of the messages Hessenthaler requested that the girl send him nude photographs, requests that the girl turned down, police said. Hessenthaler allegedly wrote to the girl “how beautiful he thinks she is, that he wants to have sex with her and that he wishes she was older,” according to the criminal complaint.

With a search warrant police were able to recover some of the text messages Hessenthaler sent to the girl, court papers indicate.

“You have sexy legs and everything about you u is sexy,” Hessenthaler allegedly wrote in one text message.

In other text messages, Hessenthaler questioned the girl about her sexual knowledge or experience and advised the girl not to tell anyone about their conversations because they could get in “big trouble.”

“I wanna kiss you! I love you. Why won’t u kiss me back? I’ve dated 8 girls and slept with 7,” Hessenthaler, allegedly sharing details of his sexual past with the girl, wrote in other text messages, according to the criminal complaint.

A search of Hessenthaler’s phone revealed that he had two photographs of his genitals, taken July 7, 2012, stored on his phone, according to court papers.

“This is the same time that Hessenthaler was having a text message conversation with the victim in this case and telling her that he had a naked photograph he wanted to send her if she sent him one first,” Lebby alleged.